2012/04 - Annual Convention (Denver, CO)

The basic outline of the course is as follows:

Reviews the basic steps in a “best­ practice” rug cleaning, why we do them and some of the most common prevailing methods in application today. While pros and cons of each method are discussed, editorial content is kept out.

• Pre­-cleaning Inspection – Why some consider it the most important step in rug cleaning and some of the most common conditions encountered in area rugs.
• Dry soil removal – Why it’s important and ways to do it.
• Washing – From dry cleaning methods to full saturation washing. Each method is discussed covering the why and how as well as the pros and cons.
• Drying – Surveying the most common methods in use today
• Finishing processes – Grooming, browning correction, color correction, etc.

Covers the basics of the most common fibers and chemicals encountered in area rug care. Topics are discussed generically, avoiding favoritism and bias.

• Wool – Why it is the most common rug fiber. How we go from sheep to rug yarn.
• Cotton – Production and application
• Silk – It’s advantages, disadvantages and production
• Bast Fibers – production and uses
• Plastics – Nylon, Olefin, etc.
• Rayon – production and it’s many other names

• Soil – most common types, how they accumulate and implications for cleaning
• Solvents – Polar and Non­-polar, volatile and non­volatile and applications for cleaning
• Detergents – what they are and how they work
• The PH scale – What it is, why it’s important and the general PH of specific substances
• Sinner circle

A general discussion of tufted rugs and their specific cleaning needs and concerns is followed by a survey of the most common types of tufted rugs encountered, how to identify them and their specific cleaning needs and concerns.  We finish covering the most common specialty rugs a cleaner will encounter.

• Tufted rugs – What they are and how they differ from other area rugs
• Tufted rugs made in China
• Tufted rugs made in India
• Custom­-tufted rugs
• Machine­-tufted rugs
• Specialty rugs – Skins, Shags, craft rugs, etc.

Picks up where we left off. We start with Machine­-made rugs and cover how to tell them from hand­made rugs. While hand­made rug ID is not discussed, students are introduced to the basics of where they are made, different construction techniques and the terminology used, building a foundation for future classes.

• Wilton construction – both traditional and face­-to­-face variants
• Axminster – both tradition and the Karastan® variants
• Hand­made – piled and non­-piled construction, terminology and how to tell them from machine­-made rugs

About the instructor ­- Armen Dohanian: is a fourth generation rug cleaner. His family owns a 100 + year old rug cleaning and restoration business in Boston, Massachusetts. Involved in rug cleaning from an early age, Armen is currently vice­-president of operations at the Oriental Rug Cleaning Company in Dallas, TX, a 103 year old, “full­-service” rug cleaning and restoration company. Mr. Dohanian is an ARCS Certified Rug Specialist (CRS), a certified Master Rug Cleaner and a Woolsafe North America "Fiber Care Specialist" as well as a member of the International Society of Appraisers.

This class will cover all of the important steps that can make or break your customer experience:

• Learn about your company and what you offer 
• Elevator Pitch 
• Common Pre-Inspection Conditions 
• Terminology: How to Convey Technical Explanations in Layman’s Terms 
• Help new customers navigate the rug cleaning process 
• How to Make Repeat Customers Continue to Feel Valued 
• THE IMPORTANCE OF DOCUMENTATION 
• Managing Customer Expectations 
• Dealing with Complaints 
• Proper Phone Etiquette 
• Proper In-Person Etiquette 
• Inter-Office Communication

Jennifer Colaco: joined Oriental Rug Cleaning in Dallas, Texas as office manager in 2010, becoming the fourth generation of her family to be involved in the flooring business. Prior to this, she worked in textile project management. Jennifer is Vice-President on the Association of Rug Care Specialist Board (ARCS), a Certified Rug Specialist, and Master Rug Cleaner.

A graduate of Texas A&M University, Jennifer and has spent the majority of her professional career interfacing with customers. Her focus on delivering excellent customer practices for her team led her to create and teach “Effective Communications for Rug Cleaners”, currently offered through ARCS.

1. Wednesday, April 27th
   1. Registration
   2. Welcome Cocktail Reception: Lobby Lounge
   3. Dinner on your own
2. Thursday, April 28th
   1. Annual Board Meeting
   2. CRS Presentation
   3. HR Practices & How to Scale to Apply to Specific Needs ~ Ian Schotanus, The Big Picture Consulting
   4. How to Develop a Safety Culture: Safety Manager with Woodard
   5. Current Afghan Rug Trends (Future & Present)
   6. Training Practices & How to scale to apply to your business needs ~ John Gagnepain - Woodard Training Dept.
   7. The Lean Journey: How to empower your teams to eliminate waste and increase efficiencies in their own workspace. ~ Matt Lanham and Team Members for Panel, Cambridge Engineering
   8. 2020 Vision on Workforce & Benefits Trends: How the changes in the workforce are impacting business culture, benefits, and competition for talent ~ Cali Beeman with Gallagher
   9. Associate Member Presentations/snack time (Meet & Greet your Associate members)
   10. Round Table ~ Jordan King, Ben Knause, Meg Walker, Scott Ring
   11. Dinner @ Kemoll’s Chop House (Hosted by ARCS in honor of our founding members)
3. Friday, April 29th
   1. Woodard Rug Plant Tour
   2. Saint Louis Art Museum
   3. Lunch
4. Saturday, April 30th
   1. St. Louis Arch Tour (optional)

Matthew Lanham

Matthew Lanham currently serves as the Director of Sales Management and Customer Service with Cambridge Air Solutions in Chesterfield, MO; a privately-held company focusing on energy-efficient heating, ventilation and cooling equipment for warehouse and industrial spaces. Before assuming the role of director, Matthew served as a regional sales manager for the southeast United States and Canada; fostering relationships with design and specifying engineers, mechanical contractors and end-users alike.

Matthew holds a B.S in Chemistry from the University of Missouri and minor in mathematics as well as a B.S. in Accounting from the University of New Orleans

Scott Barger

Scott started his career serving as a carpenter for 5 years before becoming the Safety Coordinator in the petrochemical industry. He has served on the Hazmat Team, the Fire Brigade, as an OSHA VPP coordinator, and an ISO trainer. He has background experience in insurance loss/risk control as well as a supervisory role with Amsted Rail. Scott continued his journey into various aspects of safety for 12 years as the Safety Manager with Fire Safety Inc. dealing with service and installation of fire protection equipment.

Today Scott serves as the Safety Leader at Woodard Cleaning & Restoration. He enjoys getting onto job sites and working with team members to get input on current and future safety opportunities.

Randy Hyde

• Randy Hyde - Past President
• Renaissance Rug Cleaning Inc.
• www.renaissancerugs.com

Randy Hyde; Owner of Renaissance Rug Cleaning, Inc. established in 1999 in Portland, Oregon. He started in the rug business with Atiyeh Brothers in the late 1980s. In 1996 Randy accepted a job with rug dealer, author, and tribal rug expert James Opie in part to manage the wash plant but also to sell rugs. Randy purchased the cleaning end of the business in 1999 and changed the name to “Renaissance Rug Cleaning”. Today Renaissance provides cleaning and service to most of Portland’s dealers and collectors. From 2015-16 Randy served on the ARCS board of directors and as ARCS President from 2016- to April 2018.

The Big Picture Consulting, LLC (TBPC)

Whether you need new documents, policies, or emergency support due to a government audit or employee situation, TBPC follows a Business Goals First consulting philosophy that goes well beyond typical compliance support you see from ‘add-on modules’ provided by payroll or Worker’s Compensation companies. Not only will you receive the letter of the law, but also an honest risk analysis of how to most efficiently comply with those laws or regulations and how they may impact your business operations, company culture, and long-term goals.

Every piece of advice offered is filtered through the lens of providing you with any and all information needed to make the most qualified business decision possible as well as a variety of options to allow you to accomplish your goal in any given situation. Whatever you are facing, TBPC will provide solutions and ongoing support/assistance through every step of the way… All while achieving and maintaining the highest level of compliance protection possible for your business!

Ian Schotanus

• Ian Schotanus SHRM-SCP, OSHA-30
• Owner & Lead Consultant
• The Big Picture Consulting, LLC (TBPC)

Ian is the Owner and Lead Consultant for The Big Picture Consulting. As a US Navy veteran with 2 Business Degrees, having worked in the retail/service field as both Sales and Technician, and over a decade’s worth of experience as a National Level HR & Safety Compliance consultant, he has a well-established knowledge base specifically geared to assist Residential and Commercial Service Providers. He has personally assisted hundreds of companies prevent or minimize financial damage caused by employee lawsuits, OSHA investigations, Wage and Hour Division audits, and more!

Specialties: Business Management, Systems Analysis and Design, Payroll Compliance, Safety Compliance, Employee Management Resolution

Cali Beeman

Cali joined the Gallagher Benefit Services team in 2013 servicing large accounts and currently serves as Benefits Consultant from the San Antonio office. She is a certified Human Resources Professional with benefits administration and compliance experience. Her past employers include the San Antonio Spurs as a Benefits & Staffing Specialist and Calvert Memorial Hospital in Southern Maryland as a HR Projects & Compliance Specialist.

As the spouse of a US Air Force member, she has had the privilege of working in various industries and company cultures. Her previous involvement with corporate strategic planning provides her the ability to find a balance between business and employee needs in regards to cost-control for budget planning and value for employee satisfaction.

Her background in Benefits Account Management and previous Human Resources experience gives her the unique ability to provide client insight for tying their Benefits and Human Capital Strategies together most effectively.

Although Cali and her husband are originally from the East Coast and have traveled the U.S. for the past 20 years, their dedication to the USAF came to a close, and they have finally “settled down” in New Braunfels, Texas with their two children.

John Gagnepain

John has worked in the Training and Employee Engagement field for over 25 years. He is the Director of Training and Leadership Development at Woodard Cleaning & Restoration. He previously oversaw training, employee engagement, and secret shopper programs at Six Flags St. Louis and lead the online training initiatives for all Six Flags Theme Parks.

Meg Walker

Meg Walker is Vice President of Aladdin Cleaning & Restoration in San Antonio, Texas. Upon graduation from Texas Christian University in 2004, Meg began her career at Aladdin in accounting, marketing and HR. In 2016 she graduated from the Master Rug Cleaner Program. Meg is the current President of the Board for the Association of Rug Care Specialists.

Jennifer Vickery

Jennifer joined Oriental Rug Cleaning in Dallas, Texas as office manager in 2010, becoming the fourth generation of her family to be involved in the flothe Association of Rug Care Specialist Board (ARCS), a Certified Rug Specialist, and Master Rug Cleaner.
A graduate of Texas A&M University, Jennifer and has spent the majority of her professional career interfacing with customers. Her focus on delivering excellent customer practices for her team led her to create and teach “Effective Communications for Rug Cleaners”, currently offered through ARCS.

Ellen Amirkhan

Since 1980, Ellen Amirkhan has served as president of Oriental Rug Cleaning Co. in Dallas, Texas, a business started by her grandfather in 1911 that specializes in cleaning, repairing, appraising and selling oriental rugs. A Past President of RIA, Ellen holds the designations of Certified Rug Specialist and Certified Oriental Rug Appraiser through the International Society of Appraisers. She is a co-developer of the Master Rug Cleaner Program, co-author of A Comprehensive Guide to Oriental and Specialty Rug Cleaning and serves as an expert witness for the legal profession.

Woodard Cleaning & Restoration

Woodard began in 1946 when Earl and Nancy Woodard began to offer their customers in-home rug cleaning door-to-door — an innovation at the time. Today, the Woodard family adheres to that same dedication to quality, customer service and innovation. Justin Woodard — grandson to Earl and Nancy, and son of Charlie Woodard — continues the family legacy as he owns and oversees Woodard’s operations.

Justin and the Woodard family attribute the company’s success to the superior knowledge and expertise of their team, the dedication to providing high-caliber cleaning, their 100% satisfaction guarantee and the many loyal customers they’ve been honored to serve for the past 70+ years.

Sheraton Westport Chalet - $119/night!
191 W Port Plaza Dr.
St. Louis, MO 63146
Phone: 314-878-1500

Follow this link to book your group rate for the Association of Rug Care Specialists!